A phase field-immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann coupling method for fluid-structure interaction analysis

Abstract

Fluid-structure interaction (FSI) is critical in numerous engineering and scientific applications. This paper presents a numerical model for FSI simulations that integrates the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) for fluid dynamics, the phase field method (PFM) for structural deformation and fracture, and the immersed boundary method (IBM) for fluid-solid coupling. The fluid employs an explicit time integration scheme with a smaller time step than the solid, which uses an implicit time integration scheme, satisfying the CFL condition. During the synchronization of fluid-solid interaction information, a multi-substep strategy is applied. The IBM is implemented using the iterative velocity method for boundary treatment. This approach facilitates the information transfer between domains with different time steps, enhancing the coupling accuracy through iterative computation. The effectiveness of the improved immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann (IB-LBM) has been verified by the classical cylindrical flow case, which effectively prevents the particle penetration phenomenon and improves the calculation accuracy. The phase field-immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method (PF-IB-LBM) is subsequently deployed to simulate the deformation of an aluminum plate under hydrostatic pressure and the aftermath of a dam-break impact on an elastic plate. Verification of the coupling method substantiates its feasibility and efficacy. In addition, the proposed PF-IB-LBM is implemented to simulate the entire process of structural deformation and failure in response to fluid dynamics, which further confirms its capability to predict discontinuous mechanical behaviors such as damage and crack propagation under intricate fluid flows. The results emphasize the flexibility and efficiency of the proposed approach, providing a robust framework for solving more complex scenarios in engineering FSI problems.